VIJAYAWADA: For those parents of Vijayawada, Guntur and surrounding areas who are keen on giving the best quality education to their children, one more choice will be available by next academic year in the form of an international school at Mangalagiri.

The initiative has come from the Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri-Urban Development Authority (VGTM-UDA), which called for `expression of interest' from reputed organisations for development of a school with international standards on an eight-acre site in the vicinity of the proposed Amaravathi township.

Though the UDA will have a limited role in the project, as it will offer the land on an `outright sale' basis, it will ensure that the buyer sticks to the agreement to develop, finance, build and operate the school.

The international standards school will have the syllabus prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and recognised by the State Government.

IB system

Its curriculum will be in the International Baccalaureate (IB) system, leading to an IB diploma for students. The IB Organisation is the world's leading educational organisation with 1,878 affiliated schools in 124 countries.

The school is envisaged to have classrooms for about 1,000 students, hostel, laboratories, library, playground, swimming pool, health club, staff quarters, parking space for buses and cars.

VGTM-UDA vice-chairman Y.S. Prasad says the proposal is based on the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority's similar offer to develop international standards schools at Madhurawada and Rishikonda.

"The school will be an important value addition to our project of developing Amaravathi township on a 50-acre site at Mangalagiri, where a cricket stadium is also coming up. It will help generate interest in the entire area," Mr. Prasad says.

Though negotiations had taken place in the past between the Delhi Public School and the UDA for development of an international standards school, the DPS eventually decided to go ahead on its own by entering Vijayawada in the franchisee route.

But despite this franchisee school coming up at Nidamanuru, the DPS is said to be of the view that one more school between Vijayawada and Guntur can also have its own attraction. As such, the DPS may bid for this project through another franchisee.

"The price for which the land will be offered will be decided with the successful bidder," Mr. Prasad says.

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